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Transport Topics / July 9, 2015 Rep. Tom Rice (R-S.C.) introduced legislation that would raise federal fuel taxes by 10.1 cents per gallon, and index the new rate to inflation as a way to ensure the long-term solvency of the Highway Trust Fund. The bill also would establish an income tax credit for individuals as a way to cover the additional taxes the average driver will have to pay annually. “Our Highway Trust Fund isn’t funded and cannot be trusted,” said Rice, a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. “The uncertainty this trust fund creates stifles investment from states and industry, and makes American businesses less competitive.” The bill “will fund much-needed new roads on our congested highway system and will ensure that the condition of our highways will improve, encouraging investment and creating good-paying jobs. Additionally, improvements to the system will reduce accidents and improve safety,” he added. The trust fund is used to back many highway and transit projects, and its funding authority expires July 31.

The Wall Street Journal / July 9, 2015 Ford Motor Co. has announced its Wayne, Michigan plant that assembles its small Ford Focus and C-Max wagon will end production of those vehicles in 2018 in a new setback to efforts to create a market for small cars made in the U.S. Production of the Focus will be moved outside the U.S. The move could put pressure on the United Auto Workers union to temper demands for wage increases in upcoming contract negotiations. Ford, General Motors Co. and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), although profitable, are struggling to keep pace with lower-cost Asian auto makers that now have the added advantage of weaker currencies compared with the U.S. dollar. Small cars like the Focus deliver far lower profit margins than the pickup trucks and sport-utility vehicles the Motor City is best known for, but they are essential to helping car makers meet stringent fuel economy mandates. Auto makers won concessions from the UAW before and after the financial crisis to dramatically lower labor costs. Those agreements helped usher in a return of U.S. small car production. GM now makes the subcompact Chevrolet Sonic in Lake Orion, Mich., and Ford its Focus in Wayne, Mich. Ford’s Michigan Assembly Plant, which employs 4,400 workers, builds gasoline, electric and hybrid versions of the two cars. It previously built light trucks and SUVs there and the decision to shift to the smaller vehicles was helped by gasoline that once cost $4 a gallon. Ford earlier had split production of the Focus between factories in Michigan and Mexico. In a statement, the nation’s second-largest auto maker said it is “actively pursuing future vehicle alternatives” for the Wayne facility. Ford builds the Focus at plants in Germany, Argentina, China, Vietnam and Thailand. It is unclear where the next generation U.S. models will be built. Ford Fiesta subcompact cars sold in the U.S. are built in Mexico, which is becoming a production hub for global auto makers [who are leveraging the country’s low labor costs to supply the US car market more profitably, owing to the NAFTA loophole created by politicians tied to big business]. Tens of billions of dollars in new production capacity is underway or planned in Mexico by Ford, Generals Motors and Fiat Chrysler. Toyota is shifting production of its Corolla compact to Mexico in coming years after three decades of building it for North American customers in Canada. Honda last year began shipping its compact Fit to the U.S. from Mexico. Mazda is now building its U.S. market Mazda 3 and Mazda 2 small cars in Mexico. The loss of Focus production move deals a blow to the Obama administration’s attempt to encourage U.S. auto makers to make more fuel efficient vehicles domestically. Government-backed programs, including billions of dollars in Energy Department financing lent to Ford and Treasury Department bailout funds given to GM, helped pave the way for more U.S. small car production. Ford received a $5.9 billion U.S. loan commitment to retool 11 factories in five states to deliver fuel-efficient technologies. The UAW enters negotiations with the Detroit Three aiming to win higher pay packages amid what has been a trend of annual profit-sharing checks that auto makers prefer over fixed increases. As Detroit car makers’ profits increase, union members have grown increasingly discontent with a wage scheme that pays entry-level workers about $19 an hour, or $9 less than workers hired before the financial crisis. While the roughly $57-an-hour wage and benefit costs Ford spends per UAW worker is less than the $75 an hour it was spending a decade ago, it is still between $8 and $20 an hour higher than Honda or Volkswagen, according to Ann Arbor-based researcher Center for Auto Research. How much is Ford or their lobbyist paying the center for Auto Research to lie ??? $57-an-hour ??? U.S. auto workers averaged $28.38 (25.63 Euros) per hour last year. The average hourly pay in Japan was $33.17 (29.96 Euros). The highest in the world is at Volkswagen in Germany, at $53.59 (48.40 Euros) per hour). VW’s labor costs are far higher than Ford. Ford can build the Focus in Germany at a cost of over $50.00 per worker per hour, but Ford can’t build the Focus in America for the American market at a per-hour worker cost around $28.00 ??? (and worker benefits in Germany exceed those in the US)

Bloomberg / July 10, 2015 A U.S. Senate panel unveiled a plan to roll back protections consumers get when renting cars with potentially lethal safety defects, something a safety advocate called a step backward. Under a bill introduced Thursday by Senator John Thune, a South Dakota Republican who is chairman of the Commerce Committee, rental-car companies would be able to offer vehicles with unresolved flaws as long as they disclose the defects in writing to the renter. (A US senator wants to allow big business to bury a danger declaration in that long-worded agreement form, legal speak that many people would miss. No requirement to verbally tell the unsuspecting customer, just include it in the intentionally confusing fine-printed contract that would take 15 minutes to read. Transparency in government? Hardly. Politicians go to the highest bidding lobbyist. Elected representatives displaying no morals and ethics should be promptly impeached) Consumer groups have pushed for laws to prevent rental of defective cars. Legislation such as the Raechel and Jacqueline Houck Safe Rental Car Act was considered by the Senate committee as recently as 2013 but never became law. The panel this year switched to Republican control. (Why would your government intentionally want to block the recall of rental cars to resolve dangerous defects that have killed hundreds, e.g. the Takata air bag fiasco, GM ignition switch, ect. ????) “This is going backward,” said Rosemary Shahan, president of Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety, a safety group based in Sacramento, California. “This would be worse than existing practices for 95 percent of the industry.” The Senate Commerce plan would let rental-car companies ignore the steps taken voluntarily by the largest companies, like Hertz Global Holdings Inc., Avis Budget Group Inc. and Enterprise Holdings. The National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) is supporting Thune’s legislation, arguing that less than 10 percent of recalls sought by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) were deemed serious enough to recommend that consumers stop driving until their cars are repaired. NADA and car dealers have been working with Senator Charles Schumer, the bill’s sponsor, on changes that would mitigate the economic impact on consumers and small businesses. (In other words, business profits outweigh your safety) Alliance Chief Executive Officer Mitch Bainwol, who lobbies on behalf of General Motors Co., Toyota Motor Corp. and 10 other automakers, said at the 2013 hearing legislation to stop renting defective cars would be harmful to consumers (a fairy tale) because dealerships would repair the rental cars before their customers’ vehicles. The Houcks -- Raechel, 24, and Jacqueline, 20 -- died in a 2004 crash involving a rented Chrysler PT Cruiser. The car had been subject to recall for a defective power-steering hose that hadn’t been repaired. The women lost control after the hose caught fire and the car collided with a tractor-trailer. “The promise of life my talented daughters held was snuffed out in a matter of seconds,” Cally Houck, the women’s mother, told the commerce committee in 2013. “Why didn’t the rental car company fix this defect before renting out a vehicle that was a ticking time bomb?”

Pennsylvania man sent to prison in rape plot to conceive child Reuters / July 9, 2015 A Pennsylvania man convicted of raping his wife's teenage daughter in an effort to conceive a baby the couple could raise as their own was sentenced on Thursday to up to 27 years in prison. Gary Machinshok, 29, of Wilkes-Barre was sentenced on Thursday to first-degree rape and other charges related to the abuse of the 15-year-old girl and her 11-year-old sister. Prosecutors said the girls' mother, Misty Machinshok, 33, was unable to have another child and wanted the 15-year-old girl to become pregnant so she could raise the baby. The mother assisted in the rape by pushing the teenager onto her husband and suggesting the best positions for getting her pregnant. Prosecutors said Machinshok testified against his wife, who was sentenced in April to 15 to 30 years in prison. She pleaded guilty in January to charges including rape, assault, endangering the welfare of a child and conspiracy. Gary Machinshok was sentenced on Thursday to 13-1/2 to 27 years in prison. The abuse came to light when one of the girl's friends alerted a teacher who called police. The girl was raped more than once in 2013 after the couple met through a website called onlinebootycall.com. .

Cummins hasn't been "slightly years ahead of everyone else" in years. The engine technology of every global truckmaker is far ahead of Cummins, beginning with Daimler (Detroit Diesel). The DD13, DD15 and DD16 (OM 471, OM472, OM473) are cutting edge. One can't put Cummins and "cutting edge" in the same sentence. Their (SCR) emissions systems are the industries worst, and the ISV in the new NIssan pickup is an embarrassment. Due to an inabiity to compete, Cummins lost the global truck market beginning with Europe (Cummins was the leader there in the day). The best they can do is build their old models in India.

Sadly, we live in a new era where very few real truck salesmen, and customers that are truck people, still exist.

No more problems now, since Navistar went with SCR for its engine range. But you are right, in offering Cummins ISBs, it reduces self-branded engine sales. I'm concerned about the future of Cummins. The engine maker is innovating at a snail's pace. For every one step forward, global diesel engine makers are moving ahead two to three steps.

First of all, today's reality is there are no more Mack trucks to be bought. Today's Mack-badged truck is a Volvo under the 27-year-old legacy cab.. Complaining? ............. I simply believe that a foreign truckmaker profiting in the United States market should not, at the same time, be profiting by selling trucks to our enemy's military. That the foreign truckmaker involved (Volvo) also owns America's most iconic name (Mack) is all the more demeaning. You are clearly a very sharp individual, and would thus recall the 1979 U.S. Embassy siege in Iran, and the hostage crisis. That government, which Volvo is selling to, remains in place today.

Video - http://us.cnn.com/2015/07/08/politics/iran-nuclear-talks-obama-deadline/index.html Note the Volvo FH 6x4 prime movers on parade two-thirds of the way through, the tank transporting prime mover of choice of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps. Volvo didn’t have the integrity to stop selling to Iran until 2013! http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/index.php?/topic/29989-volvo-finds-exit-ramp-from-iran-market/?hl=iran Now, just 2 years later, and although UN sanctions have not been lifted, Volvo is doing business in Volvo again. http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/index.php?/topic/40409-volvo-shifts-into-reverse-on-iran-sanctions/?hl=iran If a foreign company (ie. Volvo Group) wants to do business in America, and owns an American icon, it would act ethically, and with respect to United States foreign policy. The government of Iran, and its military, remain a foe of the United States of America. .

ABC News / July 8, 2015 Former President George W. Bush charged $100,000 to speak at a charity fundraiser for U.S. military veterans severely wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan, and former First Lady Laura Bush collected $50,000 to appear a year earlier, according to officials of the Texas-based Helping a Hero charity. The former President was also provided with a private jet to travel to Houston at a cost of $20,000. The charity, which helps to provide specially-adapted homes for veterans who lost limbs and suffered other severe injuries in “the war on terror in Iraq and Afghanistan,” said the total $170,000 expenditure was justified because the former President and First Lady offered discounted fees and helped raise record amounts in contributions at galas held in 2011 and 2012. “It was great because he reduced his normal fee of $250,000 down to $100,000,” said Meredith Iler, the former chairman of the charity. However, a recent report by Politico said the former President’s fees typically ranged between $100,000 and $175,000 during those years. One of the wounded vets who served on the charity’s board said he was outraged that his former commander in chief would charge any fee to speak on behalf of men and women he ordered into harm's way. “For him to be paid to raise money for veterans that were wounded in combat under his orders, I don’t think that’s right,” said former Marine Eddie Wright, who lost both hands in a rocket attack in Fallujah, Iraq in 2004. “You sent me to war,” added Wright speaking of the former President. “I was doing what you told me to do, gladly for you and our country and I have no regrets. But it’s kind of a slap in the face.” Former U.S. Presidents have turned the speaker’s circuit into a major source of income for their post-presidential years. Ronald Reagan faced criticism in 1989 for accepting $2 million for speeches in Japan. Bill Clinton has brought in more than $100 million in post-presidential speaking fees. Bush, similarly, recognized the opportunity, reportedly telling author Robert Draper he planned to "replenish the ol' coffers" on the lecture circuit. But as the commander-in-chief responsible for the prosecution of two bloody wars, Bush has faced a unique dilemma when it has come to addressing military veterans groups. A spokesperson for former President Bill Clinton said he "has never received" a speaking fee for addressing a veterans' group. A spokesperson for former President Bush’s father, George Herbert Walker Bush, said it has been several years since the elder Bush had given a speech, but said that he did not recall a fee being requested for charity events. On a “handful of occasions” Bush Sr.'s appearance may have been underwritten to cover costs for the charities, spokesman Jim McGrath said. H.W. Bush reportedly appeared at a Helping a Hero event in 2008. Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates was the featured speaker at last year’s Helping a Hero charity fundraiser and did not charge a fee. A representative for former President Jimmy Carter said he does not have a specific policy but often donates his honoraria to the Carter Center. A lawyer for Helping a Hero, Christopher Tritico, said he could not answer why former President George W. Bush did not speak for free. “I think it's a valid question for the former President,” he said. “It's not a valid question for a charity who raised an extra million dollars.” According to the charity’s yearly reports to the IRS, it raised about $2,450,000, after expenses, from the 2012 gala where President Bush spoke. The following year, the gala netted the charity substantially less, about $1,000,000. Speaking and traveling fees for the former President were paid by the charity, but the amount was underwritten by a private donor, the charity lawyer said. A spokesperson for the former President, Freddy Ford, confirmed the payment but declined to comment on the criticism over the $100,000 speaking fee from the veterans' charity.

Australasian Transport News / July 7, 2015 The harmonisation and reform of the oversize and overmass (OSOM) regime nationally is making progress, the Queensland Transport Association (QTA) has indicated. The push has so far identified 21 existing state and transitional notices and 42 permit-based schemes that need to be tackled. "Some of these notices cover multiple vehicle types and would need to be sliced apart to extract the relevant OSOM clauses," the association tells members. "The NHVR has initially split the project into more manageable phases to provide an earlier, intermediate benefit to industry whilst the complex task of harmonisation progresses. This first phase has the prime objective of reducing the number of permits by replacing existing period permits and permit-based schemes under a notice. "This will provide direct, immediate benefit to industry with the potential of removing an estimated 20,000+ permits each year, and will increase the transparency and highlight the differences between jurisdictions. "It is proposed that the next phase will address the differences and work towards harmonisation." The QTA notes that The NHVR has decided make a separate oversize (OS) and overmass (OM) notice as opposed to a single combined notice. "The pros and cons of this approach should be considered and included in any comments forwarded to the NHVR," it advises. Details regarding the notices include: They only cover Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South AustraliaAustralian Capital Territory has not advised of any period permits or policiesNHVR is working on a separate intermediate solution for Tasmania that will cover their current unique situationIn place of a Queensland entry in the oversize notice, NHVR proposes an amendment to Form 4 to remove the need to obtain Letters Of No Objection (LONOs). The Tasmanian situation has already sparked concern at permit delays from at least one operator, Tasmanian Heavy Haulage, while moves in Victoria earlier this year were welcomed by state industry.

Owner/Driver / July 8, 2015 South Australia offers to host trial of mass-distance-location charging scheme for trucks. Trucks should be charged based on where they travel and the weight they are carrying, according to South Australia’s premier, who has offered to trial the scheme before it is introduced. Jay Weatherill fronted the National Press Club today with a bold proposal to reshape heavy vehicle charges to ensure road funding keeps pace with community needs and expectations. Weatherill says it is getting harder for governments to fund projects from general tax revenue and that billing trucks individually based on mass, distance and location could alleviate cost pressures. "I therefore propose that we establish a national heavy vehicle road-user charging system run by the Commonwealth," he says. "Under this plan, state-based registration and federal-based fuel excise charges are replaced by a charging system based on mass, distance and location (MDL) — a system that reflects actual use of the road network." Weatherill says the Federal Government will then reinvest the revenue it earns into road infrastructure. "In order to fully explore and test this proposition, South Australia would be willing to trial different elements of heavy vehicle road-user charging. The intelligence and data we collect across our state would then inform the introduction of a national charging scheme," he says. "Such a scheme has the potential to result in better roads, with users paying for the roads they’re actually using and the roads that can support higher-productivity freight vehicles." The now disbanded Heavy Vehicle Charging and Investment (HVCI) group recommended MDL for trucks, but the country’s transport ministers would not support the measure. At this year’s Trucking Australia conference, National Transport Commission (NTC) CEO Paul Retter warned that Australia faced a "looming crisis" if it did not overhaul the existing road pricing structure. In comments similar to Weatherill’s, Retter told the conference funding constraints were hampering road infrastructure investment. There is support within the Federal Government for MDL, which was proposed in a recent review of Australia’s competition policy framework. However, MDL supporters have a task ahead of them to convince the trucking industry about the merits of the scheme. The Australian Trucking Association (ATA) is vehemently opposed to MDL and wants a fuel-based charging system introduced instead. But in his speech at the Press Club, Weatherill touted MDL as the answer to funding road projects. "It’s getting harder for governments to meet the demands of road users from general taxation revenue, and roads remain a sector that relies heavily on taxpayers to fund new projects," he says. "My plan has the potential to reduce pressure on government budgets, as the efficient use of revenue from user charges would cut the cost to taxpayers of the construction and maintenance of roads." Weatherill also echoed the thoughts of the rail freight sector, which believes the existing charging framework advantages the trucking industry. "This initiative would also put rail and road on a more even playing field, which would encourage more efficient allocation of the freight effort between road and rail," he says. Weatherill’s MDL proposal was one of four reforms he advocated, with the others covering education, health and housing. He also called for greater cooperation between governments and for the states and territories to have more of a say on important policy areas. "Now is the time for all government leaders to put aside ideological differences and forget about petty point scoring," he says. "It is now time to start a serious and constructive conversation about the society we want and the new economy we must have."

Fleet Owner / July 8, 2015 It’s not every day one stumbles upon a tank in the woods, much less at a commercial vehicle proving grounds facility. But that’s exactly what our intrepid reporter spotted this year while traversing one of the off-road courses at Navistar’s recently purchased proving grounds site outside New Carlisle, Indiana. This Bradley M2/M3 tracked armored fighting vehicle, or AFV, is used to rescue trucks and other equipment that might get stuck along the muddy trails favored by engineers seeking tough challenges for vocational chassis to navigate. Related reading - http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/index.php?/topic/40066-navistar-buys-668-acre-indiana-proving-grounds-from-bosch/?hl=navistar

Today’s Trucking / July 8, 2015 A unanimous decision by an Ontario court puts former workers at a now closed Navistar plant in Southwestern Ontario significantly closer to getting millions of dollars in pension money they claim they are owed. In a decision released Friday, the Divisional Court of Ontario dismissed an appeal by the truck and engine maker of lower court rulings that there should be a broad group of workers participating in the windup of the pension plan. It ruled members of Unifor union Locals 35 and 127 who left Navistar, for whatever reason, between Feb. 1, 2009 and July 28, 2011, should be in the windup group. Production at the plant stopped in June 2009, with the company announcing the plant's permanent closure in July 2011, leading to a partial windup of the pension plan. "This is an incredible victory for Navistar workers and their families," said Unifor National President Jerry Dias. According to the union, this means that all such workers in the windup group aged 55 or older and with at least 10 years of credited service will be entitled to, at a minimum, a special early retirement benefit. Also any worker in the windup group with a certain level of combined age and service will be able to "grow into" a special early retirement benefit. The court also determined that all laid off or disabled workers should get a supplementary of nearly a year of credited service. When contacted by Today’s Trucking for a reaction to the court’s ruling, Navistar Spokesperson Steve Schrier said, “We are reviewing the divisional court decision and will determine next steps in the weeks ahead.” Despite the ruling, Unifor said the court decision does not resolve all matters, but is a big step forward Friday's decision means an estimated $28 million for retirees from the plant, which once employed about 1,000 workers and office staff. The actual windup of the plan will determine how much each worker gets, and there is still a closure agreement to be negotiated, covering such issues as severance. "We urge Navistar to return to the table and close all outstanding matters for their employees and our members,” said Unifor National Representative Jim Mitchell.

Fleet Owner / July 8, 2015 International Truck has started production of its first International WorkStar vocational trucks powered by the Cummins ISB6.7 engine, the company announced. Both the WorkStar and the International DuraStar medium-duty truck are available with the ISB6.7 as an engine option. "Production of the WorkStar with Cummins ISB6.7 is an important milestone in meeting the needs of vocational customers by providing a comprehensive offering of proven components," said Jeff Sass, Navistar senior vice president, North America truck sales and marketing. "The WorkStar with Cummins ISB6.7 gives customers a winning combination of performance and strength." According to the company, the WorkStar boasts multiple-frame rail options, a double-sided galvanized steel cab protected by an extensive five-step corrosion protection process, and comes standard with the Diamond Logic electrical system. The addition of the Cummins ISB 6.7-liter engine expands the WorkStar model's extensive powertrain options, which include Navistar's proprietary 9.3-liter and 13-liter offerings. WorkStar is also available with a suite of traditional manual and automated-manual transmission offerings from Eaton and fully-automatic offerings from Allison. The Cummins ISB6.7, rated up to 325 horsepower and 750lb.-ft. torque, features flexible horsepower and torque ratings, with higher ratings specifically for fire and emergency applications, the company said. "The International WorkStar with Cummins ISB6.7 is the right truck for a large portion of our vocational customers," said David Hillman, vice president and general manager, International Truck Vocational Product Line. "Customers don't have to compromise. They can have it all—efficiency, comfort, capability, and now the proven Cummins ISB6.7 engine."

Navistar Plans Foundry Update at Indianapolis Foundry Management & Technology / April 21, 2011 Navistar International Corp. is expanding operations at its iron foundry in Indianapolis, planning to recall 150 workers by this summer and aiming to hire 100 more by 2014. The company, which is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of diesel engines, indicated the nearly 80-year-old operation is capable of supplying any diesel engine manufacturer. Details and cost for new investments in the operation have not been released. Long known as Indianapolis Casting, the foundry casts gray and ductile iron engine blocks, and some sources indicate that Navistar intends to begin producing compacted graphite iron (CGI) there in the future. CGI is a lightweight alternative to gray iron and aluminum that is gaining popularity for automotive engine production. Most of Navistar’s MaxxForce family of diesel engines are built from CGI blocks that Navistar sources from other foundries. In 2009, Indianapolis Casting was marked for closure but a five-year labor agreement with the United Autoworkers in July 2010 preserved the operation on a scaled-down basis. Now, the plant operates as a unit of PurePOWER Technologies, a company Navistar acquired in 2009 from Continental Diesel Systems US LLC, to strengthen its research and development program for diesel power technology. “The Indianapolis foundry is a vital part of our efforts to maintain manufacturing capabilities and technical skills in the United States,” stated Navistar Engine Group president Eric Tech. “As a result of our investment to make the Indianapolis foundry a state-of-the-art facility, we will make the company more competitive to meet the global demands of the diesel engine industry.” Navistar said the Indianapolis project is part of its plan to make PurePOWER Technologies “a world-class supplier of engine components.” (And then, they shut it down) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Navistar Now Producing Engine Blocks, Heads in CGI Foundry Management & Technology / January 25, 2012 Navistar’s PurePower Technologies LLC now confirms the long-expected news that it is producing diesel engine blocks and cylinder heads for cars and trucks in compacted graphite iron (CGI), using SinterCast AB’s process control technology. CGI is a specialty grade of cast iron that has greater tensile strength, stiffness, and fatigue strength than gray iron or aluminum, and has gained wide popularity among engine manufacturers seeking to reduce weight, noise, and emissions for their designs. Within the Navistar group, PurePower Technologies is an R&D and manufacturing division for diesel power and emissions control products. It has research centers in Columbia, SC, and Bowling Green KY, an engine components plant in Blythewood, SC, and foundries in Indianapolis and Waukesha, WI. Navistar has been producing diesel truck engines in CGI for several years, though castings for those products have been produced by other metalcasters. The PurePower operation in Indianapolis is the gray and ductile iron foundry long operated by Navistar as Indianapolis Casting Corp. PurePower Technologies is a company Navistar acquired from Continental Diesel Systems US LLC in 2009, to strengthen its research and development program for diesel power technology. Indianapolis Casting was marked for closure that year, but a new five-year labor agreement changed the outlook. Last year, Navistar announced a five-year effort to update the plant as part of its plan to make PurePower Technologies “a world-class supplier of engine components.” The value of the capital investment has not been reported. "Building on more than 10 years of CGI product development and production experience within Navistar Inc., PurePower Technologies has the experience, the facilities, and the team to be a world-class provider of high-quality CGI engine components to the passenger vehicle and commercial vehicle industries," stated Rick Bacon, director, PurePower Technologies Metalcastings. "We have brought the Indianapolis casting facility on-stream in record time to meet the increased demand for heavy-duty CGI blocks,” Bacon continued. “We now look forward to bringing our CGI design and manufacturing experience to OEMs around the world as demand grows for GCI head and block casting technology using SinterCast process technology." Stockholm-based SinterCast developed the CGI production process that is used by automakers and engine manufacturers worldwide. Recently, SinterCast reported over 46 different components are being cast in series production using its process control technology. "The commitment by PurePower Technologies to install CGI capability further demonstrates the growing demand for CGI engine components, particularly in the commercial vehicle sector," noted SinterCast president and CEO Dr Steve Dawson. Noting the new placement provides high-volume CGI cylinder block and head production capability in the domestic U.S., Dawson added, "the global footprint of Pure Power Technologies and its parent company, Navistar, improves our combined ability to support the growing demand for CGI product development and production." PurePower is operating the SinterCast System 3000 system, the latest generation of the control technology. It performs measure-and-correct feed forward control of CGI production, and automated feedback control of the base treatment. System 3000 also logs data from the melting, molding, and shakeout operations at Indianapolis, for quality control and traceability of the casting process. The SinterCast license covers both PurePower foundries: The company has an option to install SinterCast control systems on both iron-casting lines at Waukesha. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Navistar Will Close Indianapolis Foundry, Citing Costs, Efficiencies Foundry Management & Technology / December 16, 2014 Navistar International Corporation will close its Indianapolis iron foundry by the third quarter of 2015, eliminating approximately 180 jobs but reducing the truck and engine builder’s operating costs by about $13 million/year. The company took an $11-million Q4 2014 charge against earnings to cover employee separation benefits, pensions and other “post-retirement contractual termination benefits,” inventory reserves, and other costs. Navistar reported a loss of $72 million for Q4, including the restructuring and other costs (e.g., product warranties), more than analysts expected, though it also reported sales for the quarter rose 9% to $3 billion. In addition to the Q4 restructuring costs, Navistar estimated up to $40 million in additional charges during Q1 and Q2 2015, for accelerated depreciation related to the closing and related impacts during the first half of 2015. The Indianapolis plant has been operating since 1939, casting 250,000 tons/year of engine blocks, cylinder heads, housings, front covers and other parts for the adjacent Navistar truck plant, and for other locations. It had been marked for closing in 2010, but a new, five-year labor agreement with the United Steelworkers and a change in strategy preserved the operation. Navistar reduced the payroll and then operated it as a unit of PurePower Technologies, a diesel technology and emissions control company Navistar acquired in 2009. Subsequently, the foundry licensed SinterCast technology and initiated compacted graphite iron production for engines, adding that option to its gray and ductile iron products. (Navistar had a license to have American workers produce CGI engine blocks and heads, but chose to support Brazil’s economy instead by sourcing from TUPY) "Over the last two years, we've taken a number of steps to strengthen our business and position the company for a return to profitability and long-term success," stated Persio Lisboa, Navistar's president of operations. "We've determined that leveraging our suppliers for these components will reduce our engine costs, improve our overall manufacturing capacity utilization, and free up additional resources to invest in our core North America truck and parts business." Navistar stated it would source its casting requirements “from the supply base.” The company continues to cast commercial vehicle and engine parts in ductile iron at a foundry in Waukesha, WI. "Closing a facility is a difficult decision because of its impact on the many great people who've been part of our company," according to Lisboa, who promised Navistar would “treat people with dignity and respect throughout this process."

Foundry Management & Technology / May 11, 2015 The Waukesha, Wisconsin, ferrous foundry long operated by Navistar International Corp. has been sold to a team of local investors, called Renaissance Manufacturing Group (RMG). The buyers, represented by brothers Paul and Phil Knoebel, confirmed the April 30 sale and that the foundry’s workforce numbering over 200 would remain in place. RMG, which has no previous presence in the metalcasting market, named Todd Martin as president and Bobby Carr as vice president of its new RMG Waukesha division. “We are really looking at this to reinvest with our people, our plant, our processes,” Todd Martin told local reporters. “So this isn’t an equity group that is going to buy it and turn and sell it. What we are really wanting to do is build a long-term legacy around a legacy company.” Neither Navistar nor its PurePower Technologies subsidiary that managed the foundry has commented the sale, and no value has been listed for the transaction. A local news report noted that the buyers had been negotiating the purchase for three years. Navistar announced late last year that it planned to close the PurePower Technologies foundry in Indianapolis in Q3 of this year. With that closing and the Waukesha sale, the diesel engine and truck manufacturer will have exited the metalcasting industry. The Waukesha foundry, which was established in 1896 and acquired by International Harvester (later Navistar) in 1946, has been mainly a ductile iron operation since the early 1980s. It also produces austempered ductile iron, high-temperature and abrasion-resistant ferrous alloys. Since 2011, Navistar’s Waukesha foundry held a license (in common with the Indianapolis foundry) from Sintercast to produce compacted graphite iron (CGI). The Waukesha foundry also began lost foam casting in 2011. (Navistar had a license to have American workers produce CGI engine blocks and heads, but chose to support Brazil’s economy instead by sourcing from TUPY) The foundry has two pouring lines with flask sizes up to 24X32 in., for castings weighing 5-150 lb. Total production is estimated at 250,000-300,000 tons/year. Cast products from Waukesha are supplied for light and heavy truck, combustion engine, railroad, construction, agriculture, and pump/compressor manufacturing.

FYI: Hillary Clinton fired after Watergate investigation Democrat Jerry Zeifman, a counsel and chief of staff of the House Judiciary Committee, who supervised Clinton on the Watergate investigation. Zeifman’s 2006 book, “Hillary’s Pursuit of Power,” states that she “… engaged in a variety of self-serving unethical practices in violation of House rules.” Zeifman said, “Hillary Clinton is ethically unfit to be either a senator or president — and if she were to become president, the last vestiges of the traditional moral authority of the party of Roosevelt, Truman and Johnson will be destroyed.” Specifically, Zeifman contends that Rodham and others wanted Richard Nixon to remain in office to bolster the chances of Sen. Ted Kennedy or another Democrat being elected president. Zeifman said that in 1974 a young lawyer who shared an office with Clinton came to him to apologize that he and Clinton had lied to him. The lawyer, John Labovitz, is quoted as saying that he was dismayed with “… her erroneous legal opinions and efforts to deny Nixon representation by counsel — as well as an unwillingness to investigate Nixon.” Zeifman charges that Rodham regularly consulted with Ted Kennedy’s chief political strategist, a violation of House rules. Hillary Rodham’s conduct, according to Zeifman, also was the result of not wanting Nixon to face an impeachment trial because Democrats worried that Nixon might bring up abuses of office by President John Kennedy. Zeifman — ironically, a consultant to a member of the Judiciary Committee that impeached President Bill Clinton — said Democrats feared putting Watergate break-in mastermind E. Howard Hunt on the stand. Hunt, Zeifman said, might report on his knowledge of nefarious activities in the Kennedy administration “including Kennedy’s purported complicity in the attempted assassination of Fidel Castro.” Zeifman also asserts that Rodham joined Burke Marshall, Ted Kennedy’s chief counsel in the Chappaquiddick affair and Rodham’s former law professor; special counsel John Doar; and senior associate special counsel (and future Clinton White House counsel) Bernard Nussbaum in trying to gain enough votes on the Judiciary Committee to change House rules and deny counsel to Nixon. In order to pull this off, Zeifman said that Rodham wrote a fraudulent legal brief, and confiscated public documents. After the Nixon impeachment investigation was finished, Zeifman fired Rodham and said he refused to give her a letter of recommendation. Zeifman said he regrets not reporting Rodham to the appropriate bar association.

I don't think you'll find a more knowledgeable group of people on the subject than here at BMT. Are you troubled simply because they didn't align with your thoughts?

Hillary Clinton: I've never had a subpoena. House Select Committee on Benghazi Chairman Trey Gowdy: "To state that you never received a subpoena, you did get one, in March. Clinton lawyer David Kendall responded to the subpoena on March 27 Speaking for myself, I haven’t forgotten the Clinton’s Arkansas Whitewater Development Corporation scandal.

I assume that TUPY will get ALL of Navistar's business now (not just MaxxForce 11 and 13).. TUPY began supplying Volvo Powertrain with cylinder blocks since late 2003. The MaxxForce 11 and 13 (MAN D20 and D26) blocks are cast at TUPY S.A., a Brazilian foundry in Sao Paulo, and then shipped to MWM’s Santo Amaro plant (also in Sao Paulo) for pre-machining before heading to Navistar’s modern big-block engine plant in Huntsville, Alabama for final-machining and assembly. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Navistar Assigns Engine-Block Production to Tupy Foundry Management & Technology / June 29, 2007 Navistar's International Truck and Engine Corp. has chosen Brazilian metalcaster Tupy S.A. to supply compacted-graphite iron engine blocks for two large-bore diesel engine products, the MaxxForce 11 and MaxxForce 13. The blocks will be cast at Tupy's foundry at Mau, in Sao Paulo, beginning later this year. Tupy uses the Sintercast process control technology for CGI casting, a product of Sweden's Sintercast AB. The plant is already producing heavy-duty diesel engines with CGI for the German truck group MAN AG. Compacted-graphite iron is created by adding magnesium to molten gray iron. The process requires careful process control, but the resulting material is said to offer advantages over gray iron, including a higher fatigue limit because CGI's molecular structure is fracture-resistant. "The MaxxForce 11 and MaxxForce 13 will be the first heavy-duty diesel engines in North America to leverage advances in manufacturing technology to offer an engine block cast from CG Iron," stated Jacob Thomas, Navistar vice president Jacob Thomas. "The use of this material allows us to provide a high-strength block without added weight — a valuable attribute for our truck customers." Tupy's cast blocks will be machined by Navistar's MWM International Motores at Santo Amaro, Brazil, and shipped to Navistar's new engine plant in Huntsville, AL, for final manufacturing, beginning in 2008. Navistar is building a new operation near its existing Huntsville plant, but the initial products in the MaxxForce series will be partially assembled in Germany and "trimmed" at Huntsville. "Our ability to source globally and utilize MWM International for the machining of this new innovative block design demonstrates our commitment to integration and growth as a global company," stated Persio Lisboa, International Engine Group v.p.-purchasing and logistics. "This also allows us the opportunity to leverage our assets to serve the North American market, while creating a competitive advantage for our MaxxForce big bore engines." The MaxxForce engines are said to offer excellent fuel economy and power characteristics, low noise vibration and harshness, and high strength, with low overall weight. The engines will be installed in International's ProStar line-haul tractors, TranStar regional-haul tractors, and WorkStar severe-service vehicles in the U.S. and Canada.

Father tosses 7-month-old son into river, dies Reuters / July 7, 2015 Connecticut police have found the body of a 7-month-old boy they believe was tossed into a river by his father, who had tried to kill himself at the same time. Middletown police responded to a report of a body found in the river near East Haddam, Connecticut, around 8 p.m. Detectives and Connecticut State Police confirmed the body was that of Aaden Moreno, who had been missing since early Monday. Police believe the baby's father, Tony Moreno, 22, was holding the child, or had flung him into the water, as he attempted suicide early Monday by jumping off the Arrigoni Bridge in Middletown. Moreno is expected to face criminal charges. Moreno's family called police on Monday to report that Moreno was threatening to commit suicide and that he had the baby with him, police said. Two officers arrived in time to see Moreno jump off the 120-foot bridge but did not see the baby. The father was rescued and airlifted to Hartford Hospital. Court records made available Tuesday show that Moreno had recently been accused of threatening the child and the child's mother, Adrianne Oyola. Oyola said in a June restraining order application that Moreno had struck her and told her that he could make the baby "disappear." .

Ogden, Utah man beats 14-month-old baby to death Standard Examiner / August 29, 2014 Adam Barney admitted to killing his girlfriend’s 14-month-old daughter by repeatedly punching her in the face and abdomen and squeezing her, a probable cause statement filed in 2nd District Court says. Ogden police arrested the 23-year-old after emergency crews responded to the Western Colony Inn at 234 24th St., No. 2, where they found a baby “beyond medical help and deceased,” court documents said. Barney was booked into the Weber County Jail and charged with aggravated murder, a first-degree felony, which holds a maximum sentence of up to life prison. Bail is set for $100,000. “Barney stated he struck the child several times in the face and stomach then squeezed her substantially,” the document said. Barney said that during his increased frustration over dirty living conditions, the victim crying and other two children misbehaving, he lashed out. “Barney picked the toddler up and threw her onto the bed where she struck an unknown object, which caused more crying,” the document said. The toddler was sticky from food she had eaten so Barney picked her up and they went into the shower together. While holding the toddler in the shower, Barney said, he fell down and dropped her. “Out of frustration, he punched her in the face twice. ... punched her in the stomach and squeezed her really hard.” Adam Barney punched 14-month-old Kenzie Rose La Buy with “everything he had,” a detective said in testimony. Barney said he got out of the shower and put the baby on the bed, and told the other kids to watch her while he continued to clean up. “Barney looked at the infant on the bed and noticed her exhale a couple times like she couldn't breathe,” the report said After realizing the girl was dead, Barney told police, he cleaned her up and later called his live-in-girlfriend, the toddler’s mom. An autopsy performed Tuesday at the state Medical Examiner’s office revealed that the cause of death is “homicide due to blunt force trauma to the abdominal area causing the victim to hemorrhage internally,” reports said. .

2-year-old girl dies - tortured most of her life, coroner says Cincinnatti.com / April 8, 2015 When 2-year-old Glenara Bates was taken to Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center last month, she had more than 100 wounds to her body, officials said. She weighed only 13 pounds. Hamilton County's prosecutor said child protective officials "dropped the ball" in the case of Glenara and her siblings – and county Department of Job and Family Services officials acknowledged missteps. Glenara had broken teeth, bite marks, and numerous lacerations as well as marks from being whipped with a belt, officials said while announcing murder charges against her parents. They face the death penalty. "There's no doubt in my mind that his child was tortured for most of her ... pitifully short life," said Hamilton County Coroner Dr. Lakshmi Sammarco. "She was, literally, skin over bones." Andrea Bradley, 28, of East Walnut Hills, and Glen Bates, 32, of College Hill, have been indicted on charges of aggravated murder, murder and child endangerment. They were arrested March 29, the same day Bradley brought the girl to the hospital, said Prosecutor Joe Deters. Glenara – one of Bradley's seven children – was pronounced dead at the hospital. Both Bradley and Bates admitted severely abusing Glenara. Glenara's death happened a year and a half after she was returned to Bradley's custody. Court records show Bradley gave up custody to Glenara days after she was born in January 2013. Bradley had been convicted of endangering another of her children. She also was once hospitalized for psychiatric reasons and has a history of drug use, according to court records. At Wednesday's news conference, Deters said the county should have removed Glenara and her siblings from their parents' custody "five years ago." In a statement Wednesday, county Jobs and Family Services director Moira Weir said a preliminary review shows "we failed to follow our own policies and procedures in this case." "We are conducting further internal reviews and will also have an independent reviewer examine our casework and practice," Weir said in the statement. "I will add that we deal with 17,000 Hamilton County children a year, and when we have any case end tragically like this, it weighs heavily on me and everyone in our organization ... This result is heartbreaking." She said she could not comment further. Five of Bradley's children, ranging in age from 1 to 8, who were living in her house in the 2600 block of Hackberry Street, were removed from the home after Glenara's death, Deters said. They are now in JFS custody. A sixth child lives with Bates' relatives. Bradley is now pregnant with her eighth child and will likely give birth in jail. She gave birth to her first child at 15. Court documents list four fathers, including Bates. Two of the other fathers are in prison, the documents say. Deters said there is evidence the other children had been abused in the past, although they didn't exhibit "current signs of abuse" the way Glenara did. Glenara, he said, slept in a bath tub filled with feces and blood. "It's horrific, what was going on," Deters said. Bradley was well-known to JFS. Her history with the agency dates back to 2007. Bradley was hospitalized in 2009 for "extreme depression," records show. She has been diagnosed as bipolar and has a history of marijuana use. She was accused of physically abusing at least three of her other children. One child tested positive for marijuana after being born, court records say. Glenara's death occurred a year and a half after JFS and a juvenile court magistrate agreed to allow Glenara and her siblings back into Bradley's home. In 2012, before Glenara was born, JFS took temporary custody of five of Bradley's children. She was accused of abusing one of them. The child, whose name and age is redacted from the documents, had bruises and whip marks on her face, neck, eye, back and legs. The child had difficulty walking because of the severity of the bruises, the documents say. In January 2013, six days after Glenara was born, Bradley agreed to give up custody, records show. Glenara was placed in foster care with her other siblings. Bradley was ordered to undergo drug treatment, parenting education and mental health therapy, records show. Random drug tests were ordered. In September 2013, JFS and a juvenile court magistrate agreed to return Bradley's children to her because she was doing so well. JFS monitored Bradley and her children for three months. In December 2013, after a juvenile court hearing, it was determined that the children were doing well and protective supervision was ended. Glenara was hospitalized in 2014 for "failure to thrive" and later released, according to court records. Sammarco said others may have known Glenara was being abused, but didn't act. "I think it's a case of a number of people knowing what's going on," she said, "and not saying anything." .

Pennsylvania 3-year-old hung up by feet, beaten to death WPVI TV / November 7, 2014 A man and his girlfriend are charged with murdering the girlfriend's 3-year-old son in what a prosecutor described as an "unspeakable act of depravity.". Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan announced the arrests of Gary Fellenbaum and Jillian Tait. On Tuesday authorities were called to their residence for the report of an unresponsive child. Responding EMTs found 3-year-old Scott McMillan suffering from bruises, lacerations and puncture wounds all over his body. Fellenbaum, Tait, and Fellenbaum's wife, Amber, confessed that the little boy had been beaten with blunt and sharp objects, whipped, taped to a chair with electrical tape and beaten, hung up by his feet and beaten, leading to his death. Authorities say they beat Scott to death using homemade weapons, like a whip, a curtain rod, a frying pan, and an aluminum strip. Police say Tait explained that the fatal beating began when the boy wouldn't eat his breakfast. Hogan said, "Little Scotty McMillan is dead. Over a three day period ... he was systematically tortured and beaten to death. He was punched in the face and in the stomach. He was scourged with a homemade whip. He was lashed with a metal rod. He was tied to a chair and beaten. He was tied upside down by his feet and beaten. His head was smashed through a wall." Hogan said professionals with deep experience in these types of cases were brought to tears. "Our ER nurses see a lot of terrible things. But when they saw his body, they wept," Hogan said. The district attorney says Gary Fellanbaum and Tait went car shopping, bought pizza, took a nap and engaged in sexual activity - all while the child lay dying after weeks of relentless torture. Tait allegedly told police that Fellenbaum beat her 6 and 3-year-old boys on a number of occasions. He would allegedly hit them with a closed fist in the head, face, chest and buttocks, and on one occasion she says he strung the boys up by their feet and beat them, while she and Fellenbaum laughed. That 6-year-old boy is now in the care of relatives. Fellenbaum and Tait are charged with murder and are currently being held without bail. Hogan says he will be seeking the death penalty. Amber Fellenbaum, who lived in the home with their 11-month-old child, has been charged with child endangerment for not calling police. She is currently being held on $500,000 bail. Law enforcement veterans tell Action News that they have never seen a child abuse murder case like this one. Hogan said, "When you go to bed tonight, say a prayer for little Scotty McMillan. The brief nightmare that was his life... is over." .